Nev. Lawmaker Attempts Ban on Texting While Walking

Last Thursday, Las Vegas Assemblyman Harvey Munford (D) received a committee hearing for Assembly Bill 123 to prohibit pedestrians from texting or reading cellular phones while crossing roads statewide, even in residential neighborhoods.

By Jeremy Noble, via Wikimedia Commons

Those caught violating the proposed bill would receive a written warning for a first offense, followed by a $100 fine and a $250 fine for a third. Munford also said he wanted to introduce a media campaign that portrays texting while walking as childish and dangerous.

According to Munford, Seattle officials are also considering a ban after he reached out to them. He also said that the law could spark studies on injuries and deaths resulted from texting while walking across the street.

“When kids get out of school, where they’ve been banned from using their phones all day, they go immediately to their texts. I’ve seen several close calls myself where people have almost been hit. Kids are so addicted to those things. It’s almost become a plague,” said Munford to the Los Angeles Times.

The bill makes exceptions for certain emergencies such as reporting criminal activity. Government employees responding to any emergency are also exempt from the bill.

While many agree that having one’s attention diverted while walking near or across a road is dangerous, some feel that the government has gone too far by attempting to criminalize every day activities and personal choices.

Munford has also introduced the controversial Assembly Bill 122 that would put a 5-cent fee on fast-food items with 500 or more calories, in an attempt to battle obesity.